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Redbridge homeowner woke to a gun shoved in his face

A North Bay man has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a home invasion that victimized an elderly couple in 2015.

Karl Belanger, who pleaded guilty last month to robbery with a firearm, was sentenced in North Bay Friday by a Superior Court judge.

Justice David Nadeau ordered that Belanger, a 30-year-old, first-time offender, be sentenced to a total of 60 months in jail for his role in the crime.

But, because of enhanced credit for time spent in pre-trial custody, Belanger will only be required spend another 34 months behind bars. He faces a lifetime of probation after his release and also is subject to a DNA order.

Belanger is one of four men arrested and charged following the home invasion on Songis Road in Redbridge three years ago.

Court heard that a door to the home was kicked in during the early morning hours of Aug. 30, 2015, and that Belanger was one of two men – wearing disguises and armed with pellet handguns – who entered the bedroom of the homeowners, an elderly couple who were sleeping.

Both victims, according to the facts presented in court, said they were awakened by a loud noise. The male victim had a gun shoved in his face, while one of the men demanded “patches, dope, pills.”

The men fled when the male victim told them the police were coming after he had alerted 911 using a push-button device. They made off with about $1,000 and royal coinage valued at approximately $130. The coins were later recovered.

City police stopped a suspect vehicle on Carmichael Drive a short time after incident and arrested the driver.

The three passengers fled the vehicle, but one was apprehended a short distance away.

OPP, North Bay and military police conducted an extensive ground search, but were unable to locate the two remaining suspects at that time. In the days following the incident one them was arrested and Belanger, who was the subject of a province-wide warrant, turned himself in.

In delivering the sentencing, Nadeau cited a generally favourable pre-sentencing report, indicating that Belanger, who was in and out of foster care at a young age, has no prior criminal record and up until his arrest had custody of his 13-year-old brother.

According to the report, Belanger has expressed remorse for committing the crime and empathy for the victims.

The male victim has since died. But court heard that the female victim suffers from hyper-vigilance and has difficulty sleeping.

Nadeau noted that Belanger's guilty plea was a mitigating factor in sentencing. But the judge described the crime as a horrific home invasion and robbery. And he highlighted the impact the crime had on the community.